For decades, cloning was simply a topic mentioned in science fiction novels. It was simply a fictional fantasy that turned out to be for entertainment purposes only. However, while all those novels and films were being produced, a multitude of scientists were attempting to make what society considered a dream a reality. The science of cloning is the process of creating a genetic duplicate of an organism. The scientific history of cloning spans more than 100 years, starting in 1885, and is still going strong today. In general, there are two main purposes of cloning: therapeutic or reproductive. Reproductive cloning is performed with the intent of creating a complete organism. Therapeutic cloning is performed to collect stem cells for use in medical treatments, such as cloning organs for transplantation. There are benefits and consequences to each process that have sparked ethical and scientific debate over the years. With the help of future technological advancements, cloning can provide medical breakthroughs. The cloning process has been around for decades. Plants have been cloned for years now, although cloning was never recognized until February 22, 1997, when the first mammal (Dolly the sheep) was cloned from an adult cell ("Dolly the Sheep Cloning"). Dolly is named after Dolly Parton, the breast cell cloned after giving birth at the Roslin Institute. Dolly's cloning sparked much discussion and debate that continues to this day. Dolly was the first successful breeding clone. What began as the first demonstration of an artificial embryo in 1885 quickly turned into the successful cloning of animals such as sheep, cows, and mice (“The History of Cloning”). With the help of decades of me......middle paper......and Web. April 14, 2014. "Latest Facts and Figures Report | Alzheimer's Association." Latest Facts and Figures Report | Alzheimer's Association. Alzheimer's Association, n.d. Web. April 14, 2014. "Who Has Parkinson's Disease." WebMD. WebMD, December 3, 2010. Web. April 14, 2014. .IMAGES:How to create a clone. Digital image. Biology - Clones. Makewav.es, August 22, 2012. Web. April 15, 2014. The process of cloning the digital image "Dolly the Sheep". Cloning methods in animals. Np, nd Web. April 14. 2014. .